Kale & Quinoa Patties

I found a version of this recipe on Pinterest + couldn’t wait to try it as I love quinoa + kale but had never tried them together in a recipe. I made these for dinner the other night and all I have to say is WOW!! They were so unbelievably good that I am now mad at myself for not making them sooner. My husband really enjoyed them too which is always a plus, I know this is going to be added into our dinner recipe rotation for sure this summer! To make things even easier, I pre-made the quinoa before we went to the gym and then once we got home it was super easy to get dinner on the table which I loved. This is a healthy recipe but loaded with flavors… nuttiness from the quinoa and parmesan cheese, crispness from the spring onions and kale, and a rich buttery flavor from the avocado on top.I can’t wait to make these again we’ve made these a few times now and I also think they’d be fun to make as smaller patties for an appetizer (keep them in mind for the fourth of July!).

Rinse 1 cup quinoa and then combine it in a medium saucepan with two cups water. Let it soak for about 15 minutes, bring it to a boil then reduce to a simmer and put the top on the pan. Simmer for 20 minutes, remove the lid, fluff with a fork and let come to room temp (1). Steam 5-6 kale leaves for about 30 seconds, just to soften a little (2) then chop into small pieces. In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, the kale pieces, 4 beaten eggs, 1/2 cup fat free parmesan cheese, 1 small white onion that’s been diced (or use scallions if you want a milder flavor), 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro, the zest from 1/2 a lemon and 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (3) and use your hands to combine well (4). Heat 3 tbsp safflower or vegetable oil over medium heat in a high sided skillet. While that’s heating up, form your patties… I used an ice cream scoop for uniformity and it makes exactly 12 patties. Cook six patties at a time, so as not to crowd the pan (5). Cook on each side for about 5 minutes until golden brown (6) and then put those six in an oven on a cooling rack on a baking sheet then turn the oven to 200 degrees to keep hot while you make the next six patties. Dump out any remaining oil from the first batch and re-heat 3 more tbsp before making the second batch. Serve the patties topped with avocado slices, sea salt, cilantro or parsley leaves, a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.

If you like this recipe, make sure you check out THIS post with three other kinds of veggie “burger” recipes!

Kale and Quinoa Patties

Makes 12 Patties

1 cup quinoa

5-6 large kale leaves

4 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup fat free grated parmesan cheese

small white onion (or about 3 spring onions for milder taste), diced

3 cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley (plus more for serving)

1/2 lemon (both the zest and juice)

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

6 tbsp safflower or vegetable oil (divided, plus more for serving)

avocado

Rinse quinoaand then combine it in a medium saucepan with two cups water. Let it soak for about 15 minutes, bring it to a boil then reduce to a simmer and put the top on the pan. Simmer for 20 minutes, remove the lid, fluff with a fork and let come to room temp. Steam kale leaves for about 30 seconds, just to soften a little then chop into small pieces. In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, the kale pieces, eggs, parmesan cheese, onion, garlic, salt, cumin, cilantro or parsley, the zest from 1/2 a lemon and the panko. Use your hands to combine well. Heat 3 tbsp of the oilover medium heat in a high sided skillet. While that’s heating up, form your patties… I use an ice cream scoop for uniformity and it makes exactly 12 patties. Cook six patties at a time, so as not to crowd the pan. Cook on each side for about 5 minutes until golden brown and then put those six in an oven on a cooling rack on a baking sheet then turn the oven to 200 degrees to keep hot while you make the next six patties. Dump out any remaining oil from the first batch and re-heat 3 more tbsp before making the second batch. Serve the patties topped with avocado slices, sea salt, cilantro or parsley leaves, a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.

Very nice though I could not make patties that stuck together. Maybe because I used black quinoa ? Or 6 leafs of Kale was a little green stuff too much ? Decided to take two spoons and fry the patties in a bit more saffron oil. Turned out really nice. Will definitely stay on my list.

Happy that you enjoyed them, I can’t get enough of these! Maybe try chopping the kale in to smaller pieces? If the kale leaves are really big, like they are in season, maybe using one or two less wouldn’t hurt. I also try to take each scoop and really press them in my hands hard to get them to stay together, kind of like a hamburger!

Thankyou so much for this beautiful recipe 🙂
I made this tonight and I loved it. I put a pattie aside for my roommate and she loved it too!
I used nutritional yeast instead of parmesan cheese and I didn’t have any coriander (not a huge fan of it either) however I found a little bit of parsley in the garden. I didn’t have any avocado to serve it with unfortunately. I just drizzled the patties with sweet chilli sauce and lemon. Yum!

You’re so welcome, I am happy that you enjoyed them! That’s the thing I love most about them is that you can change them up based on what you have and don’t have in your fridge and they still taste delicious!

I wouldn’t take either out as these bind the patties and they are a little tricky to get to stay together as is. I would, however, suggest using gluten-free panko and replacing the egg with mashed chick peas as an alternative!

I made these for dinner tonight, they were excellent. I didn’t have the lemon on hand and I didn’t steam the Kale, still excellent. My husband and son loved them as well. I will definitely make these often.
Thank You.

I haven’t tried it without the cheese so I can’t say for sure. It does act as somewhat of a binder as it melts and it brings a nutty taste that compliments the quinoa well. I’m sure you could make it without it, they just might not stay together as well!

Hey Danielle, I made your quinoa patties today. It was really good. I made a few substitutions to the recipe. Since I have an intolerance for yeast ( panko crumbs), I substituted them for 1/2 cup of oats and 1/2 cup of ground flax seed. It came out beautiful!! Thanks for sharing your recipes.

I’m not one hundred percent sure but there was a woman before who was yeast intolerant and couldn’t use the breadcrumbs so she subbed it out for 1/2 cup oats and 1/2 cup flaxseed and said they’re turned out beautiful. Not sure if those work within your restrictions but it’s something to look in to!

I made these this Friday!!! They were fantastic! I changed it a little by cooking the quinoa in organic vegetable stock verse water. I also used my favorite gluten free crackers as bread crumbs. This has become one of my favorite dishes. Next time I just might add some spicy peppers as well. Danielle you can do no wrong for this day forward when it comes to cooking. Thank You So Much!

I haven’t tried baking these before, Sulan, but I don’t see why you couldn’t! Only thing I would suggest is pre-heating the baking sheet in the oven before adding the patties so you at least get some sear on the outside!